Gainey rejects Pittsburgh cooperation with ICE amid immigration crackdown
Pittsburgh Mayor Ed Gainey on Monday said his administration would not work with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. His comments during an appearance in Harrisburg come amid heightened concerns from the local immigrant community about ICE raids. President Donald Trump has issued quotas for the immigration enforcement agency to ramp...
A.W. Beattie Career Center to acquire classroom ambulance simulator, thanks to $85,000 infusion from state
The A.W. Beattie Career Center soon will have a “true-to-life” ambulance simulator in one of its classrooms. The school, a technical high school open to students in nine North Hills school districts, was among dozens of institutions awarded with competitive equipment grants from the Pennsylvania Department of Education. Beattie received...
Governor nominates Wian, Schimizzi to fill Westmoreland County Courthouse vacancies
Westmoreland County’s Register of Wills Office could be getting a new leader as part of a deal reached between Gov. Josh Shapiro and the state Senate to fill dozens of vacancies throughout Pennsylvania. The governor this month nominated Jon Wian, chief of staff to Republican Commissioner Sean Kertes, to serve...
Westmoreland water authority calls for reduction of use as winter freeze, thaw impacts supply
Nearly 122,000 Municipal Authority of Westmoreland County customers have been urged to conserve water as work crews identify leaks and service line breaks that resulted from last week’s cold snap. Officials said the frigid winter temperatures and this weekend’s thaw stressed the water system’s infrastructure and supply. Water line breaks...
Woman wanted on drug charges found with drugs in New Kensington hotel room, police say
More than 100 stamp bags of suspected fentanyl were among drugs and paraphernalia police from New Kensington and Lower Burrell said they found in a New Kensington hotel room Jan. 23 Police made the discovery while looking for a woman wanted on felony warrants out of Lower Burrell. New Kensington...
Funding comes through to replace roughly 1,000 lead water lines in the Alle-Kiski Valley
The Municipal Authority of Westmoreland County has the cash on hand to start ripping out approximately 1,000 lead water lines in its five-county network. The Pennsylvania Infrastructure Investment Authority came through earlier this month with a $4.6 million grant and a $5.4 million loan to fund most of the project....
Donora, Murrysville, Greensburg dive teams help pull Fayette County crash victim, vehicle from West Virginia lake
With an 8-inch sheet of ice atop the frigid water beneath their feet, dive teams from Murrysville Medic One and the Donora and Greensburg volunteer fire departments helped pull a vehicle and remains of a Fayette County resident from West Virginia’s Cheat Lake Sunday. Kevin Laitalle, 59, of Smithfield, and...
‘No remorse’: 2 men get life in prison for murder at Larimer gas station
Two men will spend the rest of their lives in prison after being sentenced Monday for a murder four years ago outside a gas station in Larimer. Michael A. James, 30, of Beaver Falls, and Randall Jones, 32, of Chicago, were sentenced by Allegheny County Common Pleas Judge Edward J....
New West View coffee shop set to open in February
Colleen Kasenic has never owned a business before. But she is planning to give it a go with West View Brew, a new coffee shop set to open at 442 Perry Highway in West View. After more than 30 years working at a travel company, Kasenic said she wants to...
Franklin Regional school board hears concerns about bus safety
A Murrysville resident and a Franklin Regional school board member would like to see the district’s school buses ease up on the gas pedal. “There’s a large group of buses in the morning and afternoon that come down Mamont Road, and they’re moving at a pretty good clip,” said Tom...
Donations sought for Arnold family of 5 that lost home to fire
Donations are being sought to help an Arnold woman and her four children who lost nearly everything they had in a fire over the weekend. Heather Burton, her three daughters, ages 2, 9 and 11, and her 6-year-old son are staying with relatives after their home in the 1800 block...
Snow Angels volunteer program coming to Springdale
Elderly Springdale residents might be getting some help shoveling their sidewalks after snowstorms. Councilwoman Toni Robbins presented an idea for the borough to begin a program that would partner volunteers with seniors and disabled residents who need assistance shoveling their sidewalks and walkways. Robbins would also like to carry the...
Three Rivers Arts Festival finds temporary home in the Strip District
The abridged version of this year’s Three Rivers Arts Festival will take place in the Strip District, officials announced Monday. The festival will be take place at the riverfront lots at the 15th Street Plaza along Waterfront Place, said Derek Scalzott, a spokesman for the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust. Festival dates...
Plum School District to put cameras on buses not already equipped with them
The Plum School District will be installing cameras on the remainder of its bus fleet. The district has received a state grant of roughly $164,000 that will pay for equipping the 34 vehicles with interior and exterior cameras. The district began the effort nearly a year ago, when it used...
2 adults, 5 children injured in crash on Route 711 in Ligonier Township
Two adults and five children were injured Monday morning after a two-vehicle crash between a Porsche and a Chevrolet Suburban on Route 711 in Ligonier Township, according to Ligonier Valley police Chief Mike Matrunics. The head-on collision occurred at about 8 a.m. when one of the vehicles apparently crossed the...
New player arrives in U.S. Steel-Nippon takeover saga with the goal of quashing it
An asset manager based in Cleveland is seeking to quash a Japanese takeover of U.S. Steel and oust its leadership after buying a minor stake in the company. The activist shareholder, Ancora, recently acquired less than a quarter-percent stake in the company. It said in an open letter Monday the...
In brief: Plum, Oakmont area news, events for the week of Jan. 27, 2025
Plum police using Savvy Citizen The Plum Police Department announced it will use the Savvy Citizen notification system. The department will use it to send emergency notifications, safety alerts and helpful information. To receive information from Plum police, Savvy Citizen users should go to community settings under “my account,” click...
In brief: Bridgeville, Carnegie area news and events, week of Jan. 27, 2025 and beyond
Carnegie monarch mural Carnegie Park has a new splash of creativity and color. Artist Alison Zapata and Carlynton High School art teacher Marlynn Vayanos, along with high school students and community members, created the colorful, monarch mural at Carnegie Park’s Monarch Shelter. The mural was inspired by Mayor Stacie Riley’s...
In brief: Penn Hills and Verona area happenings, week of Jan. 27, 2025
McAndrew gets committee assignments State Rep. Joe McAndrew, D-Penn Hills, was assigned to the House committees on Children and Youth, Energy, Gaming Oversight, Liquor Control and Transportation in the new legislative session. McAndrew once again will serve as the chair of the Subcommittee on Public Transportation. There were a few...
Crews fight flames at Kiski Township home
Fire departments arrived early Monday morning to fight flames that engulfed a Kiski Township home. Crews were dispatched to the 400 block of Glorietta Hill Road just after 4 a.m., according to an Armstrong County 911 dispatcher. The home was fully engulfed by around 4:30 a.m. Kiski Township, North Apollo,...
The Stroller, Jan. 27, 2025: Events in the Alle-Kiski Valley
Publicize your non-profit’s community events, fundraisers and club meetings for free in The Stroller. Send information at least two weeks in advance to vndnews@triblive.com or The Stroller, 210 Wood St., Tarentum PA 15084. Please include a daytime telephone number. Follow the Stroller on X at @VNDStroller. Fun and Freedom Inc....
Grants are an imperfect lifeline for volunteer fire departments
Until a few weeks ago, some Vandergrift No. 1 volunteer firefighters would answer rescue calls in one-piece cotton jumpsuits ripped from decades of crawling into mangled vehicles and performing hillside rope rescues. The rescue gear wasn’t specially rated for safety — or especially well-fitting, according to Chief Randy Dunmire. “Just...
Westmoreland veterans organization seeks descendants of Civil War soldier for Memorial Day ceremony
Penn Township resident Bill Bray has made it his mission to ensure the Civil War veterans buried in Westmoreland County are not forgotten. An Army veteran who served from 1984 to 1993, Bray has worked to restore abandoned cemeteries for more than two years — cleaning and replacing headstones of...
Westmoreland nurses form group to honor career of service
To Lynn Lawrence of South Greensburg, the solemn ceremony a group of area nurses conducted at a Greensburg funeral home to honor her late mother’s long career as a nurse, was “absolutely beautiful.” “We were so touched … the entire family. We were so grateful that we were part of...
In brief: Happenings from the North Allegheny area
Free trees available for kids Northland Public Library in partnership with Minneapolis-based Neighborhood Forest is offering free trees for kids. Parents can register their children to receive a free tree through March 15. Details on the varieties of trees and pickup in late April will be announced at a later...
